New Englanders are bracing for a serious snowstorm on Thursday, followed by an arctic air mass this weekend. What that means: Many people will remain off the roads and cozied up at home. If a hot, hearty bowl of soup sounds like a perfect snow-day dish to you, check out these five recipes provided by local chefs.
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Lentil Soup
courtesy of Chef Brendan Pelley at Doretta Taverna
Ingredients:
2 cups of lentils (soaked)
1 onion, diced small
1 large carrot, peeled and diced small
2 ribs of celery, diced small
1 clove of garlic, chopped
4 cups of canned tomato, milled or crushed
2 quarts of vegetable stock
1 teaspoon of ground coriander
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
A pinch of red chili flakes
Olive oil
Red wine vinegar
Salt and black pepper to taste
Cilantro sprigs for garnish (optional)
Greek yogurt for garnish (optional)
To assemble:
In a pot with a heavy bottom, add olive oil and sauté the carrot, onion, celery, and garlic over medium heat until soft. Add the lentils, tomato, and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil and drop down to a simmer until the lentils are tender (about 30 minutes). Add more liquid if you feel too much has reduced and the lentils are not tender yet. Season with salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, and a splash of red vinegar. To serve, garnish with a dollop of yogurt, a sprig of cilantro, a drizzle of olive oil, and a few drops of red vinegar.
This recipe serves six people.
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Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Bisque
courtesy of Steve Zimei at Chopps American Bar and Grill
Ingredients:
1 large white onion, sliced
6 red apples, quartered
3 pounds of butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
4 cups of homemade vegetable stock (or store bought)
4 cups of apple cider
2 sprigs of thyme
1 bay leaf
A pinch of nutmeg
A pinch of cinnamon
To assemble:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Toss the squash, apple, and carrot on baking pans and roast until they are well browned (40 minutes). Set aside. In a pot add oil and heat. Add onion and garlic, lower the heat to medium, and cook until slightly browned (about 10 minutes) and translucent. Add the roasted squash, carrot, and apple to the saucepan. Pour in the cider and vegetable stock, thyme, and bay leaf, and return to medium high heat. Simmer until all of the vegetables and fruit are soft. Discard the thyme and bay leaf. Puree and taste for seasoning. Thin if necessary, but this soup should be ready to serve.
This recipe makes 2 quarts.
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Ingredients:
6 sausage (any kind will do, but Kielbasa or some other rustic pork sausage works best), cut into 1/4-inch rounds
2 cans of cooked white beans (navy, cannellini, etc.)
1 Spanish onion, diced small
1 fennel, diced small
1 leek, diced small
2 stalks of celery, diced small
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 bouquet of garni: parsley, thyme, 1 rosemary, 1 bay
1 cup of white wine
1 bunch of greens, such as Swiss or chard or kale, picked, washed, and rough chopped
1/2 teaspoon of fennel seeds, toasted and roughly ground
1/2 teaspoon of chile flakes
10 cups of chicken stock, preferably homemade
Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste, preferably from a mill
Extra virgin olive oil
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
To assemble:
Sweat the onion, fennel, celery, leek, and garlic in extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add the sausage and cook for a few minutes. Then add the white wine and cook down by half. Add the beans and stock and bring to a gentle simmer. Then add the greens. Season again with salt and black pepper. Cook until the greens are tender, approximately 30 minutes. Garnish with some extra virgin olive oil and fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
This recipe makes 4 large bowls of soup.
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Hood Cream of Corn Soup
courtesy of Chef Chris Coombs at Deauxave, Boston Chops, and dbar
Ingredients:
1/4 pound of butter
1 yellow onion, diced
2 quarts of corn kernels, cobs reserved
1 quart of corn stock
1 quart of Hood cream
1 teaspoon of sherry vinegar
Salt and white pepper to taste
To assemble:
For the corn stock, place the corn cobs in a large sauce pot and just barely cover them with water. Bring them to a boil over high heat, then turn the oven off and let them steep for 45 minutes. Remove the corn cobs and reserve the liquid. Melt the butter in a medium sauce pot over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook slowly until translucent. Add the corn kernels and cook until tender (5-10 minutes). Then add the corn stock and the cream. Bring to a boil and then turn down and simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes. Carefully transfer the mixture in batches to the blender and puree until smooth. Be careful, as the hot mixture will expand in the blender. For an even silkier texture, pass through a fine mesh sieve. Add the sherry vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste.
This recipe serves four to six people.
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Chowder with Littleneck Clams
courtesy of Will Gilson at Puritan & Company
Ingredients:
1 1/4 pounds of canned clams, minced, juices reserved
10 littleneck clams
2-3 cups of bottled clam juice
2 bacon slices, minced
1 onion, diced
2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon of thyme leaves, chopped
1 pound of potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup of sliced green garlic
3 cups of heavy cream or half-and-half
6 tablespoons of dry sherry, or to taste
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Sriracha sauce to taste
Oyster or saltine crackers as needed
To assemble:
Drain the clam juice from the minced clams and combine with enough bottled juice to equal 3 cups of liquid. Cook the bacon slowly in a soup pot over medium heat until lightly crisp (about 8 minutes). Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally until the onion is translucent (about 5-7 minutes). Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon for 2-3 minutes. Whisk in the clam juice, bring to a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The liquid should be the consistency of heavy cream. If it is too thick, add more clam juice to adjust the consistency. Add the bay leaf and fresh thyme. Then add the potatoes and green garlic and simmer until tender (about 15 minutes).
Meanwhile, place the clams and cream in a saucepan and simmer together until the clams are cooked (about 5-8 minutes). When the potatoes are tender, add the clams and cream to the soup base and simmer for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the sherry. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and sriracha. As an option, add the fresh clams for presentation and additional flavor. Serve in bowls with the crackers on the side.
The recipe serves four to six people.